Louvain Open Partnership Research on Ecological and Social Transition

LPTransition is a scientific research platform, both pluri-disciplinary and trans-sectorial. Its specific purpose is to explore paths towards ecological and social transition of our societies from a transdisciplinary perspective, that is, in close cooperation with social actors and stemming from the social innovations that these actors initiate.

In transition studies, there is an advanced generation of research programs focusing on transdisciplinarity, whose benefits have already been identified in Canada, Japan or the United States: formulating research questions in closer connection with the expectations of social actors; taking better account of the constraints inherent to contexts in which actors operate regarding the formulation of policy proposals; an improved capacity for research through knowledge co-construction with the social actors who develop improvements at their own level; and ensuring wider distribution of the results of research within the different sectors of society.

In addition, LPTransition intends to develop a transdisciplinary perspective according to three levels of cooperation: 1º Framing of dissertations completed in partnership with social actors of the transition; 2º Collective programming of research co-led by a committee of the users of research; 3º Organizing activities for community service around days of transdisciplinary studies.

LPTransition is therefore not a new thematic research entity, nor a new unifying institution. Its role is to provide existing entities, and researchers interested in these entities, with a platform of services, in order to stimulate cross-disciplinary research at the university and to promote the identification of potential synergies.